A Ripple Effect

The recent massacre in Las Vegas has been challenging to say the least. Many lives were devastated by this unfathomable act. This wasn’t the first of this type of violence, and unfortunately, it won’t be the last. It’s impossible to be human and not feel the suffering and pain experienced by so many victims.

In the wake of such destruction, we search for meaning and things that we can cling to that will help us make sense of what has occurred. We look for ways to avoid repeated attacks and we ask ourselves what we can do to help.

It feels surreal – life has been turned upside down.

For various reasons, people are living life today wound tight, stressed out, and angry. We’ve become ticking time bombs. Road rage. Friends turning on friends on social media. Protests. Threats of war. Unimaginable carnage.

But, in the heart of all this antagonistic behavior lies love and kindness. We are inherently good. A person, who at one moment is berating a friend on Facebook, will just as quickly send a donation to a person in need or will wait 10 hours on line to give blood. We are compassionate beings; sometimes it just gets buried.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could peel back the layers, move away from treating each other with contempt, and focus on being kind? Wouldn’t it be nice if we could hold our tongue and show others respect? Wouldn’t it be nice if we could change the world by changing ourselves?

We all have the power to make a difference in society and it begins with simple acts of kindness. Small, loving gestures have a big impact on others and on our own state of mind. Good deeds beget more good deeds.

You may say, “I’m only one person what difference can I make?” Remember, it took only one person to wreak havoc and destroy lives. One person can restore a life.

So, smile at a stranger. Offer a kind word of support. Ask someone how he feels (and listen to the answer). Keep your opinion to yourself. That one act of kindness can turn the tide from negativity to love. That one act of kindness may cause someone to take a different path.

Let’s create a ripple effect. We just might set the world in the right direction.